Poster #2 - Abortion bans and student decisions: Is college enrollment affected by the Dobbs supreme court ruling?

• In Event: Friday Poster Reception

Abstract

In July 2022, the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health supreme court ruling allowed states to restrict abortion access. By fall 2024, 13 states had enacted full abortion bans, with another 8 setting abortion bans based on gestational week limits. This paper investigates if abortion bans affect state-level college enrollment. Specifically, using a custom dataset of aggregated enrollments from the National Student Clearinghouse, I investigate if there are changes in total enrollment and enrollment demographics for first-year undergraduate and graduate cohorts at colleges in states with abortion bans (ban states) versus states with access to abortion (access states). 

This study contributes to two overarching research areas with significant implications for educational equity and success. First, it contributes to work on the broader social and economic consequences of restricting reproductive healthcare, highlighting how such policies can shape individual’s economic and social well-being. Second, it speaks to research on the many external factors that impact students’ college investment decisions, emphasizing how non-education-based policies can influence college enrollment and persistence. Findings speak to potential long-term effects on human capital formation, peer environments, institutional diversity, and regional labor markets. More broadly, this study provides evidence on whether, how, and for whom abortion access shapes education and career investments.

Author

• Tia Jane Monahan, Teachers College, Columbia University
  Presenting Author